Curling Club bans on-ice smoking: Smokers who like to light up while on the ice at the Shawville Curling Club will have to wait until they are back in the clubhouse before puffing this year.

“We decided to eliminate smoking on the ice, effective immediately,” says club president Andrew Simms.

“We had a few complaints from people about smoking on the ice. It had come up before, but was voted down.”

Simms says 16 of 27 members at the annual general meeting voted in favour of the ban.

Despite having the highest smoking rate per capita in Canada, Quebec introduced the Tobacco Act last year.

New tobacco legislation is designed to limit the areas smokers can light up in the future.

Pine Lodge jammed for fiddle jam: It’s like one big extended family. That’s how Eric Campbell describes the players and listeners of fiddle music who come to his annual jam.

An estimated 250 people squeezed into the dance room of Pine Lodge and spilled out into the hallways for Campbell’s tenth annual fiddle jam Saturday.

“We’re a big family and we’re just getting bigger,” says Campbell.

To celebrate the jam’s 10th anniversary, music lovers were treated to some Scottish fiddle music in addition to the usual repertoire of Irish and Ottawa Valley tunes. All performers were encouraged to get up on stage during the jam. As usual, admission was merely a plate of sandwiches or squares.